Dear Trustees of the Methodist Independent Schools Trust,

We write to you as a collective of Moorlands School parents to express our deep concern and profound disappointment at the way the closure of our school has been managed. The approach taken has left many of us with a lasting sense of mistrust and a strong feeling that the needs of our children and the Moorlands community were not prioritised.

Moorlands has served families with distinction for over 125 years. When the school formally joined MIST in 2022, it was done in good faith, with the understanding that becoming part of a larger trust would ensure long-term stability, operational support, and financial security. This was a significant decision that involved the transfer of Moorlands’ assets, its buildings, goodwill, and governance to MIST, in exchange for a commitment to support and protect the school’s future.

In less than three years, that trust appears to have been fundamentally undermined. This outcome strongly suggests not a lack of viability on Moorlands' part, but a failure of protection and prioritisation on yours.

The sudden closure of the school, with limited communication and no genuine consultation with parents or stakeholders, feels less like a last resort and more like a predetermined outcome. We note with dismay the absence of any public exploration of alternative solutions, be that partnership with third-party operators (as was successfully done with Shebbear College), appeals to the parent community, or other forms of intervention to preserve Moorlands’ legacy.

We find the explanation that financial pressures and a small shortfall in enrolment necessitated the closure unconvincing. A deficit of approximately 15 pupils in a school of 140 is undoubtedly a challenge, but one that could have been addressed with appropriate support and engagement. Instead, the path taken has left us questioning whether the school’s closure served the broader interests of the Trust more than those of the Moorlands community.

Particularly troubling has been the timing and tone of communications surrounding the transition to Brontë House. The swift distribution of pre-written assessments and the pressure to commit to future placements before other schools could respond gives the strong impression of a coordinated strategy designed to manage perception and student retention within MIST, rather than prioritise the wellbeing or choice of families.

This has understandably left many parents feeling that our children’s best interests have been compromised in the service of institutional convenience.

MIST was entrusted with the future of Moorlands, yet the outcome has been its effective dismantling, with little to show in the way of benefit or transparency. The perception that Moorlands’ assets may now be disposed of for development purposes further compounds the sense of disillusionment. What was intended as a protective relationship has, in the eyes of many, become a deeply damaging one.

We urge you to acknowledge the impact of this decision, not only on the children and staff directly affected, but also on the broader trust and confidence that families place in your stewardship. At a minimum, parents deserved open dialogue, sincere efforts at preservation, and the opportunity to be part of a solution. Instead, many feel this was never truly on offer.

Should we not receive a timely and adequate response addressing our concerns, and explaining what, if any, alternative options were explored, we will feel compelled to take this matter to the wider public. We are prepared to raise our concerns with the press and relevant educational bodies including other MIST schools, not out of hostility, but because we believe transparency and accountability are essential in matters affecting children’s education and community trust.

We call upon you to acknowledge this failure, openly and honestly, and explain why this outcome was deemed inevitable, when so many of us would have stood ready to support and preserve our school, had we simply been asked.

We demand better, not only for our children, but for the communities who still trust MIST with their schools.

Yours sincerely,

A Collective of Moorlands School Parents